Lesson Plan
AI in Career Pathways Overview
Students will learn how AI influences career planning, critically evaluate AI career guidance tools, and reflect on responsible AI use in their own decision-making.
This lesson helps students become discerning users of AI-powered career tools, preparing them to navigate digital career resources responsibly and make informed life choices.
Audience
12th Grade
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Interactive overview, hands-on evaluation, group reflection.
Materials
- AI Tools for Job Exploration, - AI Career Choice Analysis Worksheet, - Student devices with internet access, and - Projector and screen
Prep
Prepare and Review Materials
10 minutes
- Review the AI in Career Pathways Overview lesson plan
- Familiarize yourself with the AI Tools for Job Exploration slide deck
- Print enough copies of the AI Career Choice Analysis Worksheet for each student
- Check that student devices are connected to the internet and the projector is working
Step 1
Introduction to AI in Careers
5 minutes
- Begin with a quick warm-up question: “How might AI help you choose a career?”
- Briefly outline today’s objectives
- Show Slide 1–3 of AI Tools for Job Exploration to introduce AI’s role in career planning
- Differentiation: Provide sentence starters for students who need help articulating ideas
Step 2
Exploring AI Career Tools
10 minutes
- Demonstrate an AI career tool (e.g., ChatGPT or LinkedIn Career Explorer)
- Highlight key features: personalized suggestions, skills mapping, labor market data
- Students pair up to explore one feature and note potential benefits and drawbacks
- Differentiation: Assign higher-challenge features (data interpretation) to advanced students
Step 3
Guided Worksheet Activity
20 minutes
- Distribute the AI Career Choice Analysis Worksheet
- Instruct students to follow prompts: evaluate AI recommendations, question data biases, reflect on ethics
- Circulate to support and ask probing questions
- Differentiation: Offer scaffolded question prompts for learners who need extra support
Step 4
Sharing Insights
5 minutes
- Invite volunteers to share one benefit and one limitation they identified
- Facilitate brief class discussion on responsible AI use in career decisions
- Note common themes on the board
- Differentiation: Encourage written submissions from students less comfortable speaking
Step 5
Closure and Reflection
5 minutes
- Summarize key takeaways: AI as a tool, not a definitive answer
- Assign exit ticket: “How will you use AI responsibly in your own career planning?” on index cards
- Collect exit tickets as formative assessment
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Slide Deck
AI Tools for Job Exploration
In this session, we will:
• Discover how AI recommends careers and skills
• Explore real AI tools (ChatGPT, LinkedIn Career Explorer)
• Evaluate benefits and drawbacks of these tools
• Prepare for a hands-on activity in pairs
Welcome everyone! Today we’ll explore AI-powered career tools that can help you discover job matches, understand in-demand skills, and plan your career path. Use this deck to guide our discussion and hands-on activities.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Explain how AI analyzes user data to suggest career options
- Demonstrate key features of AI career tools
- Identify potential biases and limitations in AI recommendations
- Reflect on responsible use of AI in career decision-making
Walk through today’s objectives so students know what to expect. Invite quick questions before moving on.
What Are AI Career Tools?
AI career tools use machine learning algorithms to:
• Analyze your background, interests, and skills
• Compare against labor market data (job postings, salaries)
• Generate personalized career suggestions and skill pathways
Examples include chat-based advisors and interactive dashboards.
Define AI career tools in simple terms. Emphasize that these tools ingest user inputs (interests, skills) and external data (job postings, labor statistics) to generate suggestions.
Tool Demo: ChatGPT for Career Advice
• Prompt example:
“I’m a 12th grader interested in science and art. What careers might suit me, and what skills should I develop?”
• Key features:
– Natural language interaction
– Tailored suggestions with rationale
– Follow-up clarifications
Demonstrate ChatGPT as an AI advisor. Show a prompt structure: career interests, strengths, preferred work style. Then reveal sample response. Encourage students to note how the tool justifies its suggestions.
Tool Demo: LinkedIn Career Explorer
• Enter your current role or skills
• View in-demand jobs and skill gaps
• Explore typical career transitions and salary insights
• Access personalized learning recommendations
Show LinkedIn Career Explorer screenshot or features list. Highlight how it maps skills to job postings and shows demand trends.
Pros & Cons of AI Career Tools
Benefits:
• Rapid, personalized suggestions
• Insight into labor market trends
• Skill gap analysis and learning pathways
Drawbacks:
• Potential data or algorithmic bias
• Limited human context or nuance
• Overreliance may overlook personal priorities
Facilitate a brief discussion on the pros and cons before moving into the paired activity.
Pair Activity Instructions
- Pair up and choose one tool to explore (ChatGPT or LinkedIn Career Explorer).
- Identify one feature to test (e.g., career matches, skill gap analysis).
- Record:
– How the feature works
– One benefit you observe
– One potential limitation or source of bias - Prepare to share your findings in the next segment.
Introduce the hands-on phase. Remind students to document both benefits and limitations as they explore.
Worksheet
AI Career Choice Analysis Worksheet
Instructions
Use either ChatGPT or LinkedIn Career Explorer (or another AI career tool) to generate career recommendations. Complete each section below with thoughtful responses.
1. Tool Exploration
- Name of AI tool: ________________________
- Date and time of your session: ________________________
- Feature or prompt you tested (e.g., “career matches,” “skill gap analysis,” custom prompt):
________________________________________
2. AI Recommendation Analysis
- What career options did the AI suggest?
- What rationale or explanations did the AI provide for these suggestions?
- How well do these suggestions align with your personal interests, skills, and values?
- Did the AI omit any important information (e.g., work environment, education requirements)? Describe what was missing.
3. Bias and Limitations
- What data sources or inputs do you think the AI tool used to generate its recommendations?
- Identify one potential bias in the AI’s recommendations (e.g., geographic, demographic, or industry bias).
- How might this bias affect users from different backgrounds or with different goals?
4. Ethical Considerations
- List two ethical questions or concerns you have when using AI for career planning:
a. ________________________
b. ________________________ - What steps could you take to verify or supplement the AI’s suggestions (e.g., consulting professionals, researching industry data)?
5. Personal Reflection
- How comfortable are you relying on AI for making career decisions? Explain your reasoning.
- After this activity, how will you use AI responsibly in your own career planning?
*When you have completed this worksheet, prepare to share one key insight and one question you still have about AI in career planning.
For more background, refer to the AI Tools for Job Exploration slide deck and the AI in Career Pathways Overview lesson plan.